Audioguía Hello, Minsk!

 Hello, we are in Minsk! Minsk is the capital of Belarus. The city with a population of more than 1.8 million people. It is located in the center of Belarus, on the Minsk Upland, namely on its southeast slope. The area of the city is 308 km2. The largest river flowing through the city is Svisloch. Six more small rivers flow into it within cityThe difference in heights of the territory on which the city is located is 96 meters. Such a complex relief is due to the location on the hill and the presence of two lowlands on the territory. The city is surrounded by forests, most of which are coniferous. The ethnic composition of Minsk is represented by Belarusians, Russians, Poles, Lithuanians, Jews and Ukrainians. The religion is represented by two major denominations: Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The first written communication about Minsk is found in the "Tale of Bygone Years" in 1067, at the time of the legendary chronicler Nestor. The original name of the city is Menesk, Men'sk, Mensk. Its origin is unclear. There are several versions. According to the first legend, the name of the founder of the city was Menesk, according to the second legend, the name of the city occurs, most likely, from a small river Menki, on which Mensk was founded. And some people believe that the name of the city is formed from the Slavic word "exchange", "change", since the city was at the intersection of trade routes, where the exchange of goods took place. Later, in the 17th century, under the influence of the Polish language, the word Mensk was transformed into a modern form - Minsk. We will make a tour of the city and will move "into the depths of the centuries," from the new Minsk to the old Minsk. Despite the fact that the city was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, many historical objects were restored by the architects. This walk will show you the most famous places of the city and those that you may not have heard of. Have a good time! Our tour consists of 2 parts, we will move "to the depth of ages", from Minsk new to old Minsk. The first part of the excursion is from the railway station (metro station "Lenin Square") to the Rose Memorial (metro station "Nemiga").